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Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett (2nd right) engages in a vibrant discussion with (from left) Heidi Clarke, Executive Director of the Sandals Foundation, Dr. Kerry-Ann McKenzie, Consultant Pediatrician at the Falmouth Public General Hospital and Karen Zacca, Operations Director at the Sandals Foundation, following Tuesday’s (August 11) launch of Island Challenge Jamaica held at the AC Marriott Hotel in Kingston.

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Bartlett Calls for Redefinition of Tourism CSR in Jamaica

Tourism Minister urges businesses to embed community development in their operations as Sandals Foundation brings Island Challenge home KINGSTON, Jamaica; Friday, August 14, 2026: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, is calling for a fundamental redefinition of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Jamaica’s tourism industry, urging businesses to move beyond charitable giving and become more deeply embedded in the development and resilience of the communities in which they operate. Minister Bartlett made the call on Tuesday (August 11) while delivering the main address at the launch of the Sandals Foundation Island Challenge Jamaica 2026, under the theme “Tourism Doing Good,” at the AC Marriott Hotel in Kingston. The four-day endurance event, scheduled for October 2–5, will take approximately 30 UK athletes, along with local and international partners, on a route spanning Trelawny, St. Ann, St. Mary and St. Andrew. Participants will run, kayak, trek and hike across Jamaica’s landscapes while seeking to raise £100,000 to strengthen neonatal and paediatric healthcare services, including at the Falmouth Public General Hospital.

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Youth Leaders See Many Opportunities in Tourism

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; Friday, September 27, 2024: A panel of young leaders has expressed strong agreement that many opportunities currently exist in Jamaica’s tourism industry but that the need exists for additional training to prepare more young people for those roles.

Bartlett Joins Global Tourism Leaders for World Tourism Day Celebrations

Kingston, Jamaica; Thursday, September 26, 2024: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, departed the island yesterday (September 25) for Tbilisi, Georgia, where he will participate in the official global celebrations to mark World Tourism Day (WTD) 2024. The event, organized by the United Nations Tourism (UN Tourism), is set for September 27 under the theme “Tourism and Peace,” and will bring together leaders from across the globe to explore the role of tourism in fostering peace, cultural exchange, and unity.

Jamaica Earns US$3 Billion From Tourism Since January 2024

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica; Tuesday, September 24, 2024: Tourism Awareness Week 2024 started on a positive note, highlighting the growth of Jamaica’s tourism industry in the face of both local and international threats, and its contribution to the wider economy.

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett (left) engages his colleague, Minister of Tourism for India, Hon. Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in a frank discussion on ways to tap into the lucrative Indian travel market, as Jamaica seeks to diversify its markets and boost arrivals.

Bartlett Calls on G20 Nations to Invest in Capacity Building for Resilience in SIDS

Kingston, Jamaica; Monday, September 23, 2024: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, has made an urgent call for G20 nations to invest in capacity building for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) that are heavily reliant on tourism. Minister Bartlett made the call while speaking at the G20 and UN Tourism Side Event recently, under the theme ‘Tourism: Building a Just World and a Sustainable Planet,’ in the margins of the 4th G20 Tourism Working Group Meeting in Belém, Brazil, from September 19-20, 2024.

Tourism Awareness Week 2024 to Focus on Tourism and Peace

Kingston, Jamaica; Wednesday, September 18, 2024: The Ministry of Tourism, its public bodies, and industry partners will seek to emphasize tourism’s critical role in fostering cross-cultural collaboration and global unity, as they observe Tourism Awareness Week (TAW) 2024 from September 22-28, under the theme “Tourism and Peace: Out of Many, One Love.” This year’s theme is in keeping with UN Tourism’s (United Nations Tourism) global theme for World Tourism Day, which is marked annually on September 27, “Tourism and Peace.”

Jamaica Welcomes 2 Million Stopover Visitors Since January 2024

Kingston, Jamaica; Tuesday, September 17, 2024: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has revealed that based on preliminary figures Jamaica has welcomed just over 2 million stopover visitors and some 3 million total visitors, including cruise arrivals, between January 1 and September 14 this year. This achievement marks an increase over last year's figures for the same period.

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